The last few weeks have been busy ones for both Apple and iPod touch Fans alike. Hack the iPod touch is going back in time to recap on what you may have missed.

The New Guy:

Not too long after Apple introduced the iPod shuffle in a new 2GB capacity, they’ve now rolled out an entirely new 3rd-generation (3G) iPod shuffle. A sigh of disappointment would be expected from those who just got their hands on the 2GB previous generation Shuffle, but all-sudden-done it is positive news. It shows that Apple has not forgotten about the iPod shuffle line, and that they are moving forward with it.

It’s been a constant trend with Apple to bring along a larger capacity iPod. Yet, at the same time, Apple manages to please us with a smaller, lighter iPod. The 3G iPod shuffle is no different, available in 4GB despite the fact that it measures in at half the size of the previous generation. We can also confirm that the iPod weighs in at a mere 3.8 ounces. That’s a significant decrease from the previous weigh-in of 5.5 ounces.

The new iPod shuffle features a stainless steel clip so that you can use your iPod on-the-go. Just clip on this sturdy metal clip to your backpack, jeans – anything. It also comes with a new feature named “VoiceOver” which tells you a song name or artist without having to check yourself. It uses the generic voice built in to Mac OS X Leopard, or a custom voice if you are using a PC or Mac OS X Tiger.

Good things come in small packages. And you can get yours today for $79 US. Available in colors silver and black.

iTunes 8.1:

New iPod, new iTunes. With the release of the 3rd-generation iPod shuffle, it was only expected that an iTunes update would follow. Apple updated iTunes to version 8.1 to, go figure, include support for syncing with the new iPod shuffle. But wait, there’s more: (doesn’t this sound like one of those ridiculous TV advertisements):

Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ

Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows

Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs

Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods

Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus

Many accessibility improvements

Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls

You can update to iTunes 8.1 through the software update option in iTunes. Your library and other files that you have stored in iTunes will remain in-tact. You must be running Windows XP/Vista/7 or Mac OS X Tiger (or higher) in order to run iTunes 8.1.

iPod touch – Untethered:

For many months, both the iPhone Dev and Chronic Dev teams have been hard at work towards bringing us a jailbreak. Credit is deserving to those who put their hard work into this jailbreak – which will be enjoyed by many. MuscleNerd is not mentioned under credits, although he played a major role in this development and was a great help.

Codenamed as redsn0w, iPhone Dev managed to release a tethered (requires your computer) jailbreak for the iPod touch community. The team did not offer any support for this method, as it was labeled use at your own risk. Merely a few weeks later, MuscleNerd announced a semi-tethered jailbreak for the community. Once again, use at your own risk.

Not too long after, Chronic and iPhone Dev reached their goals: an untethered jailbreak (0×24000 Segment Overflow). A company called NitroKey had previously been trying to make profits off this, but the untethered jailbreak makes NitroKey obselete. In fact, there are many tools and guides available for the untethered jailbreak. And they don’t cost a penny.

iPhone 3.0:

Mark your calendars: on March 17th, Apple will be demonstrating a live preview of iPhone OS 3.0. Let’s emphasize that: a preview. This does not signify a release of any sort, so sit back and relax. The release could come in a few weeks or even a year from now. It’s possible that we’ll be able to fill in those blanks come March 17th – it’s too early to tell.

Firmware 2.0 was released on July 11th, 2008 alongside the 3G iPhone. Firmware 2.0′s price tag was $9.99, leading us to speculate whether or not iPhone or iPod touch users will have to pay once again to update to Firmware 3.0. What do you think?

Cydia Store

Most people have taken this in a negative way when it could be a success. A second chance for developers. An alternative for developers to turn to. No strict approval rules. Meet the Cydia Store. Cydia now offers the ability to purchase applications rather than download them for free. This may seem harsh, but most applications that are free will remain free.

This opens the door for a greater selection of third-party applications. Cydia will still have a great selection of free applications with the added bonus of premium paid applications alongside them. The average user may take it in a negative way, but it’s positive for developers.

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